AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REVERSIBILITY OF THE MORPHOLOGICAL AND CYTOKINETIC CHANGES SEEN IN THE SMALL-INTESTINE OF RIBOFLAVIN DEFICIENT RATS

Background-Impaired iron handling in riboflavin deficiency is thought to be partially a result of significant morphological and cytokinetic changes within the small intestine. Aims-The aim of the study was to f ind out if the responses of the rat small intestine to riboflavin defi ciency induced at weaning could be reversed upon repletion. Subjects-4 8 female weanling Wistar rats were used for the purpose of the study. Methods-Rats were fed a riboflavin deficient diet or a complete contro l diet for a period of five weeks followed by a repletion period of up to three weeks. Rats were killed on day 0, 2, 7, or 21 of repletion. The duodenum was removed and fixed for subsequent analysis. Results-Fi ve weeks of riboflavin deficiency significantly changed the morphology and cytokinetics of the duodenum; the changes were not reversed withi n the 21 day repletion period despite biochemical evidence for a corre ction of the deficiency. Conclusions-The results show that the small i ntestine cannot readily recover from a period of riboflavin deficiency induced at weaning, supporting the notion that the weaning period is a critical time for gastrointestinal development and highlighting the importance of adequate nutrition during infancy.